Now available for sale at sainthermanmonastery.com A package of seven greeting cards featuring photographs of the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina, California, and environs. Six of the cards feature single photographs. These photographs are printed on photographic paper and are mounted on linen cardstock embossed with a decorative border. A seventh card, printed directly […]

On Monday, April 27, 2015, His Grace Bishop Maxim visited the St. Herman Monastery, together with Abbot Sava and Hieromonk Dimitrije of the ancient monastery of Dečani in Kosovo. His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy, with five priests concelebrating: the two fathers from Dečani; Abbot Damascene and Hieromonk Paisius of St. Herman’s; Priest Nektarios Rozadilla […]

On Tuesday, April 8/21, 2015, we celebrated Radonitsa, “the Day of Rejoicing.” On this day, which always falls on the Tuesday of St. Thomas Week, the dead are commemorated, and the joy of the recent Feast of Pascha, the Resurrection of Christ, is shared between the living and the reposed. On this day we were […]

On Bright Thursday, April 16, 2015, our monastery was visited by His Grace Bishop Iov of Kashira, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Canada. Vladika visited with his deacon, Fr. Andrew, and Russian pilgrims from San Francisco. At trapeza, Vladika told of how he had wanted to visit the monastery […]

Christ is Risen! Greetings with the radiant Feast of our Lord’s Resurrection! Below we have posted photos of Holy Friday, Holy Saturday, Pascha, and Bright Monday at the St. Herman Monastery. Photos of a Baptism service on Holy Saturday can be found in another post.

On Holy Saturday, March 29/April 11, 2015, Andrew Zhang was baptized in the Beegum Gorge Creek below the St. Herman Monastery by Abbot Damascene. The Divine Liturgy was held the same day, at which Andrew was chrismated and received Holy Communion.

During the first four days of Passion Week, the Orthodox Church begins to commemorate the sufferings of Christ with special, penitential Matins services, known as the Bridegroom Matins. In many places these are held in the late night/early morning hours, and begin with the Bridegroom troparion, which sets the tone for those services: “Behold, the […]

On November 15/28, 2014, we celebrated the Repose Day of St. Herman of Alaska (+1836), one of three Feasts of St. Herman that we celebrate each year (the others being the Glorification of St. Herman on July 27/August 9, and the Feast of St. Herman on December 12/25). This year, Archpriest Paul Volmensky, Deacon Nikolai […]